Last night the Providence City Plan Commission held a meeting to discuss the Providence Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan as passed on November 1st by the City Council. Once again, the Providence Working Waterfront Alliance asked that the plan be amended so that the Allens Avenue Corridor’s land use designation not be changed from the current industrial only to mixed use/residential before our neighborhood charrette is completed. While the Plan Commission did not adopt our suggested amendment, Chair Stephen Durkee is quoted in today’s Providence Journal article saying that no zoning variances will be granted to waterfront developers until the charrette process is complete:

“If someone petitions for a zoning variance of this map, it won’t fly,” Durkee said. “Fact is, that map is just a piece of paper.”

We appreciate this commitment and will be vigilant in ensuring that the Plan Commission upholds its promise.